I really enjoyed my visit to Tryon Palace! I learned a lot about the history of New Bern, which was very cool. This house is a very nice reconstruction, as the original one burned down. The guide was very knowledgeable, and they even had fake food set out in the dining room! The gardens were lovely, and you could wander in them for a while (we didn't, just because it was so hot). Definitely a reasonable price to pay for a 45-minute history lesson. read more

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I enjoyed the history of this Palace and thought that the docent giving the tour was quite knowledgeable. The history was so interesting and I asked a lot questions as well - she didn't seem to kind! And I actually stumped bet on one of the equations. Make sure you walk around the grounds and the gardens as well. They have a pretend military camp based in 1774, so that was very interesting. Well worth it! If you are a senior make sure you ask for the discount - not advertised! read more

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Such a fun tour experience! A little pricey for a group with multiple kids but well worth it! The history was so much fun to learn and great for all ages. We loved the tour guides in the kitchen office and all of their shared knowledge. read more

Tryon Palace - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - New Bern, North Carolina

Very cool historical stop We enjoyed our guide The period dressed folks taught us a lot 45 minute tour so not too long Original buildings were cool Gardens were nice too You should stop in read more

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good way to spend a few hours to beat the heat. gardens are gorgeous right by the river. Sahar was a fantastic guide

The Tryon Palace was the highlight of our New Bern day trip. $20 per adult and it gets you a guided tour of the main palace, other houses on the grounds, and self guided tour of the gardens. The guided tour of the palace was very informative for us history buffs. Gives you a good understanding about the history of New Bern and how the occupants of the palace lived back then. One thing I learned is the palace is actually a replica of the original. The original building burned down. Overall, great tour. read more

This was a great tour, the only reason I'm giving 4 stars is because the first time I went, the guide was not dressed up and sometimes I had to listen so intently because he was practically mumbling his words so fast I couldn't understand. He was however, very informative and gave you lots of information about the rebuild of the palace and the fun things inside. The second time I went, the lady was dressed up, but terrible! She barely spoke loud enough, it was like listening to a lecture from a history professor, but not the fun one. She gave NO insight about the palace itself or the fun stuff inside. I felt like I was giving the tour to my parents with me myself! I LOVE history, but my goodness. I think they need to follow along these tour guides and give them constructive criticism. It's almost a lost art with people being historians and having a personality. The tour guide for the Dixon house, I forgot her name, tall lengthy gal with glasses, loved her! She was wonderful! She spoke clearly, gave great information about the, didn't make you want to fall asleep and was quick. read more

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Tryon Palace has reopened! When I booked my tour it was to be limited to 10 individuals but there were 20 of us on the tour. Before the pandemic the tours did not have more of a handful so it was surprising to have such a large group touring. The New Bern Academy Museum was closed as was the Stanly House; Dixon House and Hay House. Tours of the palace were offered but just of the first floor. The kitchen, stables, gardens; tent area and the NC History Center were open although the Pepsi Center was closed. Even with all the closures it is still a beautiful place to visit on the water. I just love walking through the gardens. It will be nice when the house are reopened as I missed seeing the houses. read more

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We had such a great time here. The gardens are beautiful, employees are funny and so nice and helpful/knowledgeable about the place and its history. The lady who did our tour was fantastic and had an answer for every question that was asked. I'm horrible with names but I will remember her by her accent. 10/10 would recommend going here and seeing all of it. For what we paid was well worth our time to see this place. We also got to see a history museum and a few other things that was included with our pass. read more

Tryon Palace - Front gate entrance - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - New Bern, North Carolina

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Such a well done site! We took the guided tour through the house and were pleased with our guide. He was very knowledgeable and quite funny, despite the fact that it was later in the day and they had apparently had several school groups visit throughout the day prior to our arrival. As a former historical guide/educator for a certain pre-colonial and colonial site in VA, I know that can be exhausting. You would not have known it from his fantastic and entertaining tour! The site is well run and even the self-guided tours (the kitchen and stable) have costumed staff on hand to answer questions and provide information. The bonus was the living history rev war encampment on site. All in all, this is a must see when visiting the New Bern area. Unfortunately, we wished we had spent more time here exploring than the hour and a half we gave ourselves, especially adding in the NC History center. The one disappointment, believe it or not, was the museum store. Oh don't get me wrong, there were so many beautiful local things to purchase! But what was missing were the basics. This is obviously a store manager that purchases the things she likes instead of thinking what visitors themselves would purchase. Yes, lotions and soaps, candles and pretty little baubles are neat (again, but even talking about the local items), but you also need to include the basics - the branded merchandise that brings in the income. Most people/parents won't pay the mark up for items in a museum store that they can purchase elsewhere for less. I say this because it reminds me of a certain war museum where I worked as an educator for years that was the same way. The shop manager filled the store with miniature toy soldiers and toy soldier books that he was into as a hobby. On a daily basis, visitors asked where was the "stuff" that said XYZ War Museum so they could remember their trip. We didn't have any. Just an observation. read more

Tryon Palace - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - New Bern, North Carolina

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The candlelight Christmas event each December is well worth the price of your timed admission ticket. Plan ahead and purchase in advance. While touring the parlance is the highlight, there's plenty of other entertainment going on. We arrived at 4:30 when the gates opened. Our online tickets had to be replaced with a timed ticket across from the palace front gates. Parking and ticket exchange were no problem. Two historic homes were open for tours, decorated for the holiday, and narrated by past residents in colonial costumes. Another was serving complimentary hot cider and ginger snaps in the garden. There was an encampment with soldiers, a tent with seating for entertainment (magician and a sword swallowing duo) drum and fife band and the dancers, drummers and singers celebrating the African tradition of Jonkonnu. A bit of 21st century provides the opportunity to purchase food from food trucks. Our timed ticket was for 6:30. Earlier would have been better--later meant even longer lines. We were greeted by actors playing the parts of royalty, friends, and servants with a different story line every year. The tour takes you thru the place and includes climbing stairs. It ends in a beer garden. There is a gift shop and another area with sweets, baked goods and coffee for sale. I read about this event in Our State magazine and will definitely make this a Christmas tradition. Plan to spend the whole evening so you aren't rushed. Fireworks end the event with a colorful bang! read more

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Stopped by the Spring Heritage plant sale today. Such a fun way to spend the morning in The Palace gardens. Friendly, knowledgeable staff/volunteers available to help you select the best plants for your environment! Hopefully their advice will help these beauties survive and thrive! Helping the foundation is even better when the plants are healthier and less expensive than the big box garden centers. During the sale, they accept credit c read more

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We visited the Palace in November 2023, the Christmas decorations inside and around the buildings were spectacular! Very traditional, understated and beautiful - as the docents explained they were much like they would have been when the Palace was in use. There is an encampment on the left when you enter through the gates - very interesting gentlemen there, knowledgeable of the types of weaponry used in that time period. Entering the gorgeous front doors, our docent was friendly and welcoming. As we toured through the house, she gave us so much information about how the families lived there, history of the furniture inside, and about the interesting architecture. We then walked to the kitchen building - WHOA! This was the highlight for me. There were two ladies inside who were friendly, full of knowledge and were very fun to talk to. The authentic kitchen was interesting, and they make a recipe each day to fill the room with delicious aroma. The stable building was next - beautifully done inside, the brick floors, the wooden beams - gorgeous! We walked through some of the gardens, but it was late in the day so we cut that short. Highly recommend a visit here - very interesting for all ages. Well done! read more

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I went to the Tryon with my school and I loved it so much! It's filled with history and the guided tour was so informative. I actually enjoyed it so much that I'm looking into volunteering there. I would definitely recommend this place to anyone I know; it was truly an amazing time. read more

We love New Bern. I have to be honest and say that the "Christmas Candle Light" event was not communicated accurately ... long line to the "main event" inside the Governor's mansion and we didn't realize we could have seen other homes prior to the time on our ticket. It was overpriced for what it was and then because we weren't told to come earlier, we ran out of time and couldn't see the other homes. Poor communication and overpriced. Not sure we will do that again. We absolutely love New Bern but this operation needs better communication in regards to events. read more

You will need to buy tickets before going thru the gate - it's across the street. Not all buildings are in the same block, so be sure to wear comfortable shoes. The tour guides wear colonial apparels, and they are very friendly. We spent about 2 hours touring the palace, yard/gardens, kitchen, and gift shop. read more

What a gem! My friend and I took our 7 kids to visit the Gardens, the encampment, and the Pepsi History Center. We started at the encampment and were thoroughly impressed with our conversations and the demonstrations. The interpreters gave so much attention to our kiddos and answered lots of questions. To beat the midday heat we went to Pepsi Center down the block and not having any expectations or prior knowledge of it, we were floored by how immersive and fun it was. As a group we rotated between the ship, the turpentine factory, the kitchen, the dry goods shop, the printer, and the home. Each had a mission to complete and the kids talked about it the rest of the day. From there we walked around for a quick stop into the museum (not super kid friendly), watched the video on palace history, and headed back to the gardens for the beginning of some golden hour goodness (ish. It was 4:30). In mid April there was so much in bloom and we took 100s of photos. We've been to gardens all over the country, most recently in Charleston and Williamsburg, VA ... Tryon was the best in our opinion! read more

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My wife who has to use a wheelchair and I toured Tyron Palace on 4-15-2023. We took the morning Outlander tour. Despite not having watched the shows or read the books we thoroughly enjoyed the interaction between interpreters! We also toured the palace and found our guide Zaheer to be caring, personable, and funny! She kept checking on my wife throughout the tour and made sure all questions were answered and that my wife did not miss anything. Great job read more

If you're thinking of coming here. I would suggest coming in the spring when the gardens are in bloom and when all this COVID mess is over. The tour is great but the upstairs and the kitchen are closed off because of the pandemic I guess. You only tour the bottom half of the palace. Hopefully, these restrictions let up so we can come back for a full experience. read more

Tryon Palace - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - New Bern, North Carolina

I ended up visiting Tryon Palace on a bit of a whim, as my grandmother had wanted to visit New Bern and the palace seemed to be what she was most interested in seeing. I enjoy some of the historical aspects to the location and found the tours to be generally interesting, but opted to spend the majority of my time with the self-guided tour through the outer garden and buildings. While main portions of the garden are a delight, you can tell that there's a bit of a problem with maintaining the property. My grandmother and I chatted for a short bit with one of the women who was volunteering at the garden (weeding, cleaning up some of the walkways, etc), and she said they were having a very difficult time keeping volunteers to help with the maintenance of the garden area and such. It's unfortunate, but you can definitely tell in some areas of the garden that the space isn't getting as much attention as it should in order to keep it appealing to visitors (dried greenery and weeds, etc). Before and after our tours around the palace, my grandmother and I spent time in the neighboring History Center. The staff members in each location were all very pleasant, and if you're interested in history then a visit to Tryon Palace is a charming, and not too time-consuming, means to enjoy some of the reconstructed architecture and such from the period... but just don't come here with serious/great expectations or anything. TL;DR Enjoyed some of the gardens, though they could be better maintained. Staff members are helpful. Generally interesting, but not something I would be especially excited about or remember to recommend to others visiting the area. read more

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Five stars for the Christmas Candlelight Tour and Festivities. The Palace is open and decorated for guided tours that included individuals dressed in period correct costumes. Each stop in the house included a play of sorts referenced to current events of that era. There was a working blacksmith shop, troop campsites, stable and for this event there was a small circus tent with performances. In addition, there were 4 additional houses that you could visit just by the Palace that offered plays with each from a varying time period including 1950. One house even had Father Christmas aka Santa. There were demonstrations of other types and music. They concluded the evening with black powder fireworks over the river. 5-stars to the folks planning and participating in this event. They made our Christmas really special this year. Note the town of New Bern and the neighborhood around Tryon Palace are fully decorated for this event. There are plenty of restaurants within walking distance. read more

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The museum portion was closed due to covid. The gift shop and garden path were open. The selection is the gift shop features a lot of local flavor and was fun to shop in. The sweet lady in the gift shop was delightful to make recommendations for places that we could check out for more NC Civil War history. I would love to go back and check this place out when it's open. read more

The main attraction in New Bern. This palace and surrounding historical buildings can all be visited with one encompassing ticket. Tickets can be purchased at the Museum, right by the water. The complex encompasses the Palace and gardens, but also several other buildings to include The Academy, John Wright Stanly and more. Sunday is their slowest day, which makes for a less crowded visit, however on Sunday the complex opens at noon and closes early, therefore effectively shortening the visiting time in half (for the same ticket price). This was quite disappointing as I would expect tickets to be cheaper on a day when half the time is allowed to visit the grounds. At the very least they should allow visitors with a Sunday purchased ticket to come back and visit the complex the next day if needed (with appropriate receipt off course)...but this is not the case...hence the 4 stars. I understand employees wanting Sunday morning off, but again, ticket price should reflect reduced hours. read more

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I took two tours of the place proper and got to enjoy a bit of the museum sites down in S Front Street. The palace tour is very informative. Having taken the tour once and coming back with a friend, I realized that different guides highlight a variety of areas given their field of interest. There is the core information that they all share, and then that extra bit that they probably researched on their own. The last guide for example [ see photo] was really into making her own clothing. She mentioned that she had stitched her costume, as well as the pocket that the women wore, which I learned were embroidered in a way that truly represented her personal style even though, and maybe because, the pocket remained hidden beneath pounds of clothing. The grounds around the palace are beautiful. And a great place to hang out or stroll along until late afternoon. read more

North Carolina's version of Colonial Wiliamsburg isn't as grand or expansive as the Virgina attraction, but it's worth a visit nonetheless. Like Williamsburg, Tryon Palace is a reconstruction of the 18th Century original, built from the architect's blueprint and furnished with period decor. Located in the historic and picturesque city of New Bern, it's a great place to stop on the way to the Lower OBX, as well as a fun destination on its own. The tour of the main palace runs just under an hour, and our guides made sure every minute was filled with valuable insights into North Carolina's colonial history. The palace gardens are also worth a stroll, as are the two adjacent outbuildings containing stables, a kitchen, and the servant's quarters (all self-guided). If you have the time (we did not), there are also four authentic period houses surrounding the palace, all included in the standard ticket package. The History Center, just a short walk away, is a great place to begin and end your visit. A short but detailed orientation video will provide some important historical background on the Palace and New Bern's role in the colonial government. And the Pepsi Family Center lets kids travel back in time to discover the challenges of 18th Century life through fun, interactive exhibits. A word of warning -- save this for the END of your visit, as it will be next to impossible to pull your kids away. When your day at the Palace is through, take some time to explore New Bern's charming downtown. One of North Carolina's prettiest and most historical towns, it's the perfect place to stroll on a summer afternoon. read more

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This is a beautiful reproduction of the Governor's Palace. The guided tours are short but well done. Great job by the guides! read more

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Three of us visited the Palace and had a very interesting tour. The day was HOT but we were able to find some shaded areas as we waited to enter the main building which was air conditioned. Our tour guide was hilarious, posing interesting questions about what might have occurred back during the days of the Palace's importance. She also had us amused as she explained how the Palace came to be rebuilt, including the total rerouting of a major highway so that the edifice could stand on the site of the original. As is the case when you tour these demi-shrines, you can't help but wonder how the lower classes and servants were treated while these leaders were languishing in their excess. Hmmm...perhaps much the same way as those of us who are not in positions of power are treated today? In addition to the Tryon Palace reproduction, the stable house and the kitchen and cook's house are also open for you to enjoy. In the kitchen, there was a wood fire going and food was being prepared using original recipes from colonial times. This was fascinating to this culinarian. There was no guide or explanation for the stable house. Also on the premises there is a gift shop but we didn't visit it. Outside the main gate there is shuttle service to return you to the Museum where you purchase your ticket. The museum has a delightful gift shop with very reasonable prices for their wares. read more

Discover Tryon Palace: Palace Decor Tours. Don't bother. A complete waste of time. The decor was artificial, and not very creative. Didn't even see a Christmas tree. $20 ticket ($24 after fees) pp and it lasted about 45 min. The "gardener" tour guide only knew about the faux decorations and couldn't answer any other questions. There were six of us and we all came away thinking the same thing - a waste. read more

Fun little historical town. It's probably much nicer in the spring when all the garden is in bloom. It was brutally hot in the summer but the visitors center was beautiful with all the amenities (a film about the history, a gift shop with all the souvenirs you can buy, and a refreshing restaurant to power up on). They have a little golf cart taxi that takes you from the main parking to the front of the palace, but its easy to walk to if its not swelteringly hot. Prices are steep, but its worth a look at least once. I was a little disappointed how strict they were about taking pictures. read more

Tryon Palace - the stable, the crest, the gardens below - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - New Bern, North Carolina

Definitely not open on Monday! Disregard everything you see in AAA on your Apple phone or even here on yelp. We actually called the office and were told by Pam that they are not open on Mondays. read more

This place was really cool to see! The guides give you a good history about the place and can answer almost any question you have. There are several historic houses surrounding the palace that you can tour also. The map that they give you when you buy the tickets say that some of them are open to tour at your own pace, but we couldn't get into any of them without knocking so that a tour guide could open the door for us, so make sure you plan right to make it to all of the tours (every half hour or so) The gardens were a litle overgrown but still pretty to see. The only bummer was that you can't take any pictures inside the palace or any of the historic houses so I don't have much to remember them by - just pictures of the outside. There are 3 floors in the palace that they take you around, and I don't think that they are wheelchair accessible, so you should be able to climb stairs. Apparently all of the items/furniture in the house are actually from the 1800s, not just made to look that way, so it's pretty authentic. There's a woman in the kitchen that actually cooks using a dutch oven/fire so it's cool to talk to her and find out how she does it, but the kitchen smells pretty smokey from the fire she uses so beware. read more

It had been years since I last visited Tryon Palace and I'm glad I returned. At first, I realized that much of the structure is a replica which disappointed me. Only the carriage house/stables building survived a late eighteenth century fire. But what is truly remarkable is the story of the building of the replicas. A number of New Bern residents in the 1950's researched in depth every aspect of the history and drawings of the palace to recreate this incredible reproduction. It is filled with period English furnishings and one table which was found to have been used in the house. Definitely visit this important part of our country's history. read more

It is very historical; a lot of history, well preserved. Definitely worth an afternoon with the family for fun and learning.

After many years of seeing the signs for Tryon Palace I finally visited. As a fan of history and architecture, I wasn't disappointed. Yes, the palace building itself is a recreation of the original, but that's OK as the attention to detail (and the story behind its development) is amazing. The other houses included in the admission price are original and also have great details inside. The docents were VERY knowledgeable about the building, the activities of the time and the history of the residents. I enjoyed my walk around the gardens and the buildings and found many opportunities to stop & take photos. Thumbs up for: price, quality, historical accuracy, docent knowledge. read more

This place is huge. We only had a few hours to take it all in so we enjoyed the tours through some of the smaller houses and the last tour through Tryon Palace. It was a dreary day so sadly we did not get to wander through the gardens, but from what we did see, it was quite nice. North Carolina's first colonial and state capitol, Tryon Palace was the place where governors ruled, legislators debated, patriots gathered and George Washington danced. They liked to remind the visitors that George Washington was once there and share details of its destruction during the Civil War as well as the pride with which locals raised funds to rebuild it rather than take state funds for its rebuilding. The costumed guides add a nice touch and the older ladies tell the stories as if talking about old family members. This is definitely a must-see on your list of places to check out when visiting New Bern. read more

A must see if you're visiting the eastern coast of North Carolina. We drove a little over an hour to New Bern from Topsail Beach and spent the entire afternoon at this large site. Although I thought the price was rather steep at first (an AAA discount knocks off a bit), by the end of the day it was well worth it. Admission gives the visitor access to the reconstructed palace and gardens, several surrounding homes, and the newly constructed Regional History Museum. Take the time to tour the palace and walk it's beautiful gardens. Truly spectacular during the summer. However, it was the museum that was the real highlight of the visit. A must visit with children. Opened this past October, this beautiful and spacious museum has a theater, gallery, eatery / ice cream parlor, gift shop, and a well done exhibit hall chronicling the local history and culture of the area. The highlight for us was the Time Machine activity area which allowed children to experience life in a North Carolina town set in 1835. Children traveled from station to station engaging in various crafts (printing, cooking, making pine tar, sailing etc.) and truly "experienced" it - great use of touch screens and hands on activities. We had a great time - Tryon Palace was one of the highlights of our vacation. Highly recommended! read more

This is not a family friendly place. We waited over an hour for a ticketed candlelight tour which ended on entry due to other guests making rude comments about our group having children. Do not waste your time or money! read more

This seems to be the historic centerpiece of New Bern, NC. The tour was fun and the guide was very informative. The rooms and artifacts were interesting but nothing that stood out in our experience until we had our own time to enjoy the garden. This made it all worth it with the many tulips in bloom. The garden scenery was colorful and relaxing. read more

This location is a step back in time. The Gardens are so Lovely, especially in the spring with Tulips everywhere. The Gardens are always free one week end in the spring and one week end in the fall. Guided tours of the once Governor's Palace are also available. A must see if you visit our quaint little town. Did you know George Washington danced here?! read more

I am English, and therefore I tend to like old things. A lot. Tyron Palace is a restored, former governors mansion, and it has been restored very well. The house is furnished with period pieces (not original to the house, since it previously burned down). The docents give a good tour and tell the story well. The owners are doing all they can to preserve the fabrics and artwork on the walls - as a result there is no illumination inside the house. Unfortunately for us we went on a cloudy day and as a result it was incredibly dark inside the building - so dark that it was impossible to make out some of the interiors. read more